The Prisoner

“We want INFORMATION….INFORMATION....INFORMATION”

#6: “Who are you?”

#2: “The new #2.”

#6: “Who is #1?”

#2: “You are #6.”

#6: “I am not a number!  I am a FREE MAN!”

#2: {Laughs maniacally…]

Intro to “The Prisoner”, from Number of the Beast, by Iron Maiden

I finally watched all 17 episodes of this 1967 British TV show, featuring the late Patrick McGoohan in the title role.   As was so often the case – e.g. 79 episodes of Star Trek: the Original Series – I had scarce patience for such cerebral fare in the past.  I had heard the Iron Maiden song dozens of times, and even seen a few episodes of the show, including the quasi-comedic “The Girl Who Was Death”, which my friend Dave had shown me ages ago.

Premise.  A highly placed intelligence officer, known to us only as #6, abruptly decides to resign from an un-named intelligence agency.  Since it’s based in London, we can assume it’s MI6.  As he packs up his things in his London apartment, gas surrounds him, he’s abducted, and the next thing he knows he’s in a mysterious little village (where?), identified as #6.  All the other villagers are either fellow former spies (of whom he recognizes very few) or agents of the Agency posing as fellow prisoners to gain his confidence and eke out his secrets.  Everyone, even the top guy (#2 - who is #1?), simply has a number and no one is ever referred to by name.

In particular, the #1 secret the Agency tries to elicit from him – and which he consistently refuses to reveal – is simply his reasons for resigning.  Every episode a different #2 – the administrator of the village – attempts (unsuccessfully) to get him to reveal the secret.  Naturally each attempt fails and the #2 is replaced by another one, who tries something different (those damn invincible Gauls!).  It’s not even clear that the Village is necessarily in England or run by MI6.  In one episode it’s suggested the village may be on the Baltic Sea coast of Poland.  And #1’s identity is not revealed until “Fall Out”, the final episode, which likewise gives us some clue where the village is. 

Incidentally, the Village does in fact exist and survives to this day: Portmeirion Village, in North Wales.   If a 17 episode TV series from the 1960s is sufficient motivation, by all means visit.  Put that and Cross Plains, Texas, on your bucket list.   

For his part, in addition to refusing to reveal his reason for resigning, #6 makes constant efforts to escape.  However, the village is protected by mysterious white bouncing balloons.  Naturally he’s consistently unsuccessful but like Cool Hand Luke, never gives up.  As he says more than once: "I will not make any deals with you. I've resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, de-briefed, or numbered. My life is my own."

Although he’s given a nice little house to live in, and the village is pleasant enough (if a bit quaint and boring) he’s under constant video surveillance.  Moreover, the men in lab coats frequently dose him with drugs and experiment on him – and of course, none of these work either.  Sometimes it seems like the Agency is using the village and the prisoners as small-scale guinea pigs for mind control experiments intended for mass deployment should they prove useful in the village.  But the village population has almost complete turnover, with #6 being about the only permanent resident. 

What is most remarkable about the show is its consistent anti-totalitarian theme.  Of course it’s easy to criticize Stalinist Russia or Nazi Germany, but here we’re talking about efforts by a “free democracy” to subjugate its citizens, naturally as subtly and unobtrusively as possible.   Even though #6’s quarters are nice and comfy, and the village takes care of him, he still resents being a prisoner in a gilded cage.  And he refuses to cooperate; his defiance is unrelenting and strident.  Ultimately you’ll see how that works for him, if you have the patience to watch all 17 episodes.  The final episode, “Fall Out”, in fact wraps up the series.

Formats.  As noted above, we were exposed via the Iron Maiden song.  When the band solicited then-living Patrick McGoohan’s permission, the actor was happy to consent.  Frank Herbert, the author of Dune, was considerably less cooperative and refused (so they called their Dune-inspired song “To Tame a Land”). 

What I saw was an A&E Collection in Blu-Ray from Netflix.  It cleans up very nicely in Blu-Ray, but unfortunately the set is $200.00 on eBay.  Oh well.  

Finally, they remade the show in 2009; that one has 6 episodes and features Jesus Caviezel as #6 and Ian McGandalf as #2.  "The Village" is out in the desert, not the UK seaside.  #6 now has love interests: Ruth Wilson (the Lone Ranger's sister-in-law) and Hayley Atwell (the hottie from "Captain America" and "Agent Carter"). #2 never changes (unlike the original).  It's just as cerebral - which means often a confusing mindf**k.  However, 40% consists of confusing flashbacks to #6's prior life in NYC, and the events leading up to his resignation, which are supposed to give some hint as to why he's in the Village.  I found it a worthy effort by people who know, love, and understand the 60s show, but ultimately unlikely to surpass the original.  

Clearly in this age of the Patriot Act, NSA spying, Edward Snowden, et al, surely a series such as this one is more relevant than ever.  Enjoy.